10 for 10: 10 things we'd like to see in OS X 10.10

Dan Moren |
June 2, 2014

It's the year of tens: OS X 10.10's unveiling is likely on tap for Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference keynote next week. As we hit 30 years of the Mac OS (and 13 years of OS X), Apple's desktop OS has become a mature piece of software: the slow-and-steady tortoise to the excitable hare of iOS.

Interface time

Look, we're not saying change for change's sake: The basic concepts of the Mac OS have served us well for the past three decades. But that doesn't mean that it couldn't stand a fresh coat of paint here and there. (The stale-looking Reminders and Game Center apps in Mavericks suggest that a larger revamp must be in the offing.)

In the same way that Apple refreshed the classic Mac OS look with Aqua at the debut of OS X, and later went through several different design phases — you'll forgive us if we don't mourn the loss of brushed metal — OS X 10.10 could be a good turning point to refine the design of the Mac OS into something more in keeping with the modern-day aesthetic. Though maybe err on the side of conservatism, Apple: The full iOS 7 monty isn't going to win you any plaudits here.